The prophetic voice and witness of The Episcopal Church at COP29

By the Reverend Stephanie Johnson, Rector of St. Paul’s (Riverside)

For the past 10 years, The Episcopal Church has attended the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) Convention on Climate change. Since 1992, these annual COP meetings gather thousands of change makers, government officials, non-for-profit leaders, and corporate representatives to tackle one of the most existential crises of our times. The voice of faith communities at COP talks have grown over the years with The Episcopal Church, along with the Anglican Communion and the World Council of Churches, realizing opportunities for engagement on a world stage.

The Episcopal Church prepares for each COP with a list of policy positions to advocate, which are based on General Convention resolutions. The four main policies advocated by The Episcopal Church are 1) fulfill climate finance commitments 2) accelerate closure of emission gaps and carbon footprint reduction 3) increase support for communities experiencing loss and damage from climate devastation and 4) protect human rights and affirm environmental justice.   

Last November, I was blessed to be part of The Episcopal Church’s virtual delegation to the talks, which were held in Azerbaijan. Three members of the delegation were in-person, while the remainder of us were “virtual” delegate with online credentials to access governmental sessions, non-profit and faith- based plenary sessions, press conferences, and workshops.                       

Our work as a delegation began in July 2023, building a virtual community through prayer and conversation. When the COP talks began, each deputy spent 3-4 hours daily online following the proceedings. We participated in daily online group debriefings, beginning with prayer seeking wisdom, hope, and courage for all decision makers. These briefings were an opportunity for those on the ground in Azerbaijan to gather additional details from the virtual delegate team which would help inform their work. 

As delegates we were asked to select one policy position to focus on. I chose to focus my time on loss and damage (L&D) efforts. The concept behind the loss and damage program, which was initiated at COP 28, was to provide resources to the most vulnerable ensuring that no one is left behind following a climate event. The tremendous challenge is to realistically estimate and fund damage costs, currently estimated by various groups at $100-200 billion. As of March 2025, only $765 million had been pledged from 27 countries. With great fanfare UN officials signed the COP29 agreement that gave the oversight for this work to the World Bank. At the signing ceremony for the new agreement, one UN official acknowledged a L&D fund would never have been established if it hadn’t been for the pressure from the civil society groups which include faith communities and NGOs. This was one bit of heartening news about the power of collective voices.

Less encouraging, however, was the ignored demand, particularly from the indigenous communities and Global South, that the L&D fund be managed by a new organization composed of leaders from those most impacted by climate change. It is feared that with World Bank oversight, the cycle of colonization would be perpetuated.

The reality of climate destruction is that there are immediate and generational intangibles related to Loss and Damage: displacement from the land and mental, spiritual, and physical impacts from the loss of homes and livelihoods. As I would learn from my time at COP29, an additional heartbreaking layer to the L&D was the spiritual despair many communities have felt from cataclysmic climate events. Displacement from the land and destruction of sacred land means long held rituals and traditions are upended, further destabilizing communities. Sadly, the very creation which was seen as a force of healing and renewal is now seen by some communities only as a force for destruction. Many faith groups spoke about their worries regarding the mental health impacts on children, youth, and young adults for decades to come. Even in the face of this existential reality of living with climate destruction, faith groups seemed eager to respond with programs to address the mental health issues and spiritual despair caused by climate change. This commitment from the faith community was a cause for hope in the uncertain landscape of climate work.

At our delegations debrief after COP29, we shared our frustration and sadness over the lack of significant progress in Azerbaijan including the inadequate funds for all types of climate work. However, we were collectively committed to this ministry of witness and inspired by those who are working on the ground around the world. More of that debrief can be found here.

The prophetic voice and witness of The Episcopal Church at COP talks, along with other faith communities, is critically important now more than ever as our federal government has egregiously attempted to wipe away any of the painful realities of the climate crisis. Our church’s longstanding commitment to justice for all people and creation is exemplified by our 10 years of ministry at COP. I was so grateful to be a small part of this witness for all of God’s creation.   

The Reverend Stephanie Johnson is the Rector of St. Paul’s Riverside. She is the former chair of the Episcopal Church’s Task Force on the Care of Creation and Environmental Racism. The Rev. Stephanie leads workshops and retreats on grief and climate change, preaching hope for God’s Creation and greening congregations. She is the author of How Can I Care for Creation, a primer on eco-theology and faithful action, from Church Publishing.